


US Currency, 1994 Issued

by Sharcade



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Frustration, Gen, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Short, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 15:25:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14957190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharcade/pseuds/Sharcade
Summary: Connor loses his coin.





	US Currency, 1994 Issued

When Hank arrived to work, the usual scene was Connor sitting in his desk, already having finished all of his own work and having started on Hank's work. Always neatly groomed, stoic, determined, and aloof. That was the aura Connor gave off. Never troubled, never frantic, never phased. It was what Hank had come to expect. So when he arrived at work and saw an empty desk chair before a stack of unfinished paperwork, he was more than a little curious.

"Where's Connor?" Hank asked allowed, a general question for anybody listening.

"He's been pacing around like a lunatic in the halls all morning." Ben chimed in, evening out his stack of papers and looking up at Hank. "Hasn't got a thing done."

"The fuck is he up to now?" Hank sighed, running his fingers through his hair distractedly before stripping off his coat and draping it across the back of his chair. 

As if on cue, Connor shot past the door like a bullet, pacing quickly down the hallway. Hank blinked in surprise, cautiously poking his head out into the hall. Connor turned the corner sharply.

"Ay! Connor!" Hank called, stepping out into the hallway.

The sound of Connor's dress shoes against the tile stopped for a moment, then started again quietly. Connor poked his head around the corner, eyeing Hank.

"Yes Lieutenant?" he called back.

"The fuck are you doing?"

Connor adjusted his tie, proceeding forward and closing the gap between him and hank to lower their volume.

"I have lost something."

"Yeah? What?"

"A U.S. quarter issued in 1994. Have you seen it?"

"You mean your fuckin' coin?"

"Yes."

"Who cares? I can give you a new quarter Connor, I've got a fuckton of them, get to work."

" _No._ " Connor responded pointedly, Hank cocking an eyebrow in surprise. "I would like to locate my coin."

"And it has to be  _that coin?_ Can't just get a new coin?"

"No."

"Alright, well I guess I'm helpin' you look then." Hank sighed, rubbing his head.

He could never have one peaceful morning.

"Appreciated, Lieutenant." Connor stated simply before practically sprinting off again, his speed-walking very comparable to running.

Hank watched Connor turn the corner, grumbling under his breath as he looked around on the ground. It wasn't like Connor to lose things, even small things that were easy to misplace. Connor was organized, efficient, he kept track of everything and anything that he considered his property or responsibility. The idea that he had lost something so commonly found right there in his own pocket was fairly surprising to Hank. It wasn't like Connor. Thoughtlessly, he trailed a few steps behind Connor, following him into a meeting room. Connor's searching almost looked desperate, despite his usually calm and collected persona. 

Following Connor's lead, Hank began checking chairs, mugs, anything that could possibly be hiding Connor's coin. As focused as he was trying to be, his vision couldn't help but trail back to Connor every few moments. The android's brow was furrowed, his movements sharp and unpredictable as he practically tore the set of filing cabinets he was investigating apart. Hank could tell Connor was becoming frustrated very quickly, something he didn't particularly understand.

Connor wasn't the type to get attached to items, he had no problem replacing things or throwing things away, it was efficient, it was in his programming, so when Connor was searching so frantically for  _one specific coin,_ Hank couldn't help but wonder why.

"So why's this quarter so important, exactly?" Hank questioned, standing up and tucking in the chair he had been inspecting.

"It just is." Connor stated curtly, a sense of sharpness to his tone that Hank hadn't heard since he had questioned the android for not shooting Chloe.

"Alright, alright." Hank muttered, continuing to pace about the room. "Why would it be in here, exactly?"

"Because it wasn't anywhere else I checked!" Connor snapped suddenly, standing up straight and shooting Hank a look.

He paused slightly, calming and taking a deep breath, fixing his tie and hair.

"Apologies, Lieutenant. I did not mean to raise my voice."

"Hey, hey, come sit down for a minute." Hank coaxed, taking a seat in one of the meeting room's desk chairs.

Connor furrowed his brow slightly, walking over and taking a seat next to Hank. 

"What's the matter kid?"

"I have lost my coin."

"Yeah, but what's got you so fuckin' worked up over it? I can just give you a new coin. Aren't you the one always tellin' me to throw my shit away because  _object attachment isn't efficient?"_

Connor paused, taking a moment to think, looking fairly displeased. 

"Yes but-" he paused again, rethinking his words. "It is an important object to me. That  _specific_ coin has stayed with me throughout my entire period of existence."

"So you're attached to it?"

"No, I- I mean, to some degree I suppose it would-" Connor paused again, seemingly deep in thought as he fumbled over his own words. "...Does it matter?"

"Matters to me." Hank shrugged, kicking his feet up onto the desk. "Would you be upset if we didn't find it?"

"I would." Connor stated quickly. "It would be very unfortunate to lose something important to me."

Hank's eyes scanned over the android's features, Connor looked deeply perturbed, something about this was much more important than he was making it out to be. Connor wasn't just frustrated, Connor was  _upset._

"Hey kid," Hank started, softening his voice slightly. "Are you okay?"

"All my systems are functioning properly."

"Not your fuckin' systems,  _you_. Are you  _feeling_ okay?"

Connor paused at that, unsure of how to answer.

"...No." he mumbled finally.

"How are you feelin'?"

"Frustrated." Connor sighed. "Annoyed. I am experiencing loss and I do not enjoy it."

"That's because loss is the fuckin' worst Connor."

"But it's  _unreasonable,_ " Connor started, the negative emotions evident in his voice. "I should not be attached to any one  _object,_ objects are  _replaceable,_ objects are-"

" _Sentimental value_ isn't replaceable." Hank interjected. "It's not just an object if you're  _attached_ to it. If you're  _attached_ to it, it's something  _important_."

"But it shouldn't be!" Connor continued, standing up abruptly before calming slightly and frowning. "It doesn't make sense."

"Welcome to being alive."

"I...I just want to find my coin." Connor replied, trying to calm himself. "We should resume looking."

"Connor, you're allowed to be upset about shit you know."

Connor paused and looked at Hank.

"You don't have to fuckin' detach yourself from your feelings like that. If you're upset about your coin, and you're upset about  _being upset_ , you're allowed to be upset. You don't gotta just force everything to be okay."

"But I  _want_ everything to be okay." Connor insisted. "Why do humans get attached to things they know could disappear?"

Hank flinched slightly. He paused, sighing as thoughts of his son flickered in his head. Connor was right. Anything could disappear at any moment. But that wasn't the point of attraction.

"Because it's worth it." Hank stated, looking up at the ceiling. 

" _How?"_

"Because attachment is human." Hank explained, glancing over at Connor. "And yeah, sometimes you get attached to somethin' stupid, sometimes you get attached to somethin' you thought you'd hate. Sometimes you get attached to somethin' and wonder how the fuck you even managed to pull that one off, but it makes you  _happy._ It's worth it so whatever thing you're attached to can stay in your life. But hell, even if that somethin' your attached to disappears, it was better to have it for the time that you did than to never have had it at all."

Hank winked.

"I...Thank you, Lieutenant." Connor muttered, fixing his hairline. "That is an interesting point to consider."

"You don't need the coin, Connor. It'll be nice if it turns up, but you don't need it. You'll be okay."

"I-I'll be okay."

"You'll be okay."

Hank stood, pushing his chair in and stretching as he gave one last glance around the room. Connor looked fairly dejected, clearly he still would have liked his coin to be recovered, but Hank's words had definitely stuck.

"You wanna go grab somethin' to eat before we get our asses kicked for not getting any work done?"

"I believe that would be appropriate."

"Alright, let's get a move on." Hank chuckled, leaving the room as Connor trailed behind him wordlessly, eyes on the ground.

And then they both heard it. 

It was a small metallic clattering, the office seemingly going silent as the sound dragged on, getting louder until it finally came to a stop, Connor's coin ceasing its roll at his shoe. Connor's eyes fixed firmly on the coin before slowly moving upwards, fixing instead on Gavin Reed, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights, both hands out as if he had just been tossing the coin between them.

"...So anyway, those coin tricks of yours are-"

And then Hank punched him.


End file.
